


he's behind me in the mirror

by thearchivistt



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dream Team SMP Spoilers, Ghost Wilbur Soot, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Resurrection, i speedran this before the stream today and i was right about what was going to happen lmao, no beta we die like ghostbur's going to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28678560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thearchivistt/pseuds/thearchivistt
Summary: Wilbur was supposed to stay dead.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 122





	he's behind me in the mirror

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in the morning before the resurrection stream and I didn't think anything like this would actually end up being canon but during the stream today Ghostbur said that when he died the first time he saw two people in a dark room and one of them ended up being Schlatt so... the second one is probably Wilbur. Basically I'm a prophet  
> Also this is very scuffed

Dying had felt like falling asleep. 

Coming back  _ almost  _ felt like waking up. 

It was as if one moment, he wasn’t, and the next, he was. He came to in the middle of a field, blinking at the sun and the clear, blue sky above him. It took him a moment to remember who he was and what had happened to him. 

He was supposed to be dead. 

As he was about to sit up, something obscured the sun in front of him. “Hello!” said a voice. 

Wilbur squinted at the figure before him. It was… him? Almost- this other Wilbur had light grey skin and pale white eyes. He was wearing Wilbur’s favorite yellow sweater, the one that he’d lost after being exiled. 

It took him a moment to remember how to speak. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Ghostbur! You must be Alivebur,” replied the other Wilbur. 

Wilbur sat up slowly, looking around. “Where… we can’t be here. This place is gone.” 

Around them were great blackstone walls. He could see the Camarvan in the distance and L’Manberg’s original flag waving in the wind above them. 

The other Wilbur- Ghostbur- said, “We’re in L’Manberg. You do remember that, right?” 

“Of course I remember L’Manberg,” Wilbur replied. “But it’s gone. Schlatt took down the walls years ago. I blew it up… how long ago was that?” 

“It’s not  _ really _ L’Manberg, silly. L’Manberg is gone. We’re in your head.” 

The grass and the wind and the sun felt real enough, Wilbur thought. “Aren’t I supposed to be dead?” 

“Well, you were. For a very long time. And I was Wilbur. But I don’t want to be Wilbur anymore, so we’re trying to bring you back. And since I’m here, it seems that’s working,” Ghostbur said cheerfully. 

“You… what?” Wilbur couldn’t wrap his head around it. “So you’re me?” 

“No, I’m Ghostbur. You’re Alivebur. We have the same body and face and some of the same memories, but we’re not the same,” Ghostbur explained. 

Wilbur furrowed his brow. “I’m still not sure I get it. But that’s not what matters. Why am I here?” 

“Because I don’t want to be Ghostbur anymore. I want you to come back.” 

“I don’t want to come back,” Wilbur replied. He’d wanted to die. His mission had been finished. All he’d wanted was to destroy L’Manberg, and he’d done that. There was nothing left for him in that country or any other. 

“But why not? We can’t just leave everyone without a Wilbur.” 

“Everyone else…” Wilbur said, more to himself than to Ghostbur. “How are they?” 

“Well, a lot’s happened since you died. Tubbo brought back L’Manberg, you know, and he made Tommy his vice president. And things were going well for a while! I helped rebuild everything, and L’Manberg was the prettiest it’s ever been. Ah, no offense.” 

“None taken.” Wilbur gestured for the ghost to continue. 

“But then things started to get messy. Tommy burned down George’s house, you see, and Dream wanted him exiled for it. Um… things get a bit fuzzy for a while, but the next thing I knew, I was in Logstedshire with Tommy and he was very, very sad. And then Dream sent me to give out invitations, but he sent me out into the snow. I think… I think he tried to kill me. I don’t do well around snow, you know, it makes me melt, and I could’ve died out there. I didn’t, I found Techno’s house and stayed there with him and Tommy and sometimes Phil. It was nice, but we weren’t all together for very long. Oh, and there was Friend! You’d love Friend, I’m sure. He’s a sheep.” Ghostbur made a face. “I haven’t seen Friend in a long time. I don’t know what happened to him.” 

“You said earlier L’Manberg was gone,” Wilbur said, opting to ignore all the things he didn’t know about. What the hell was Logstedshire?

“Oh, yeah, it is. I went to visit, and it was a crater and there were withers everywhere. I didn’t stay long- the rain made me melt. But Tubbo told me he’s not going to try to bring it back. I think it’s for the best, honestly.” 

“It is, isn’t it,” Wilbur said, more to himself than to Ghostbur. “Why do you want me to come back? I mean, you seem much nicer than I ever was. I’m not sure they want me back.” Wilbur thought of his friend's faces looking up at him from the wreckage of L’Manberg. He thought of the horror in Phil’s eyes when Wilbur handed the sword to him.  _ You’re my son!  _ He’d shouted, but even that hadn’t stopped him. 

“Well, I think my job was to rebuild L’Manberg. And I did, and it went well for a while. But it’s gone now, and it’s not coming back, so I think my job is done.”

Wilbur didn’t respond for a long time. Finally, he said, “So my symphony’s finished?” 

“I think it is.” 

This wasn’t what Wilbur wanted. The point of  _ everything  _ he’d done was to make sure L’Manberg stayed unfinished. He’d thought he’d been saving his friends and family from more corruption and violence, but he supposed he should’ve known better. They were nothing if not stubborn. 

He should’ve seen this coming. 

But that didn’t mean he had to be the one to deal with it. “I just want to rest,” he said. 

Ghostbur looked at him sadly. “I’ll understand if you do. But… don’t tell them I said this, but Tommy needs a brother. And Fundy needs a dad. A lot’s happened to both of them since you died, and I don’t think I can be what they need. I’ve got an awful memory, see, and it makes it hard to help people with emotional things if you can’t even remember them in the first place.” 

Wilbur considered it. “Do you really think they want me back? Do you think any of them do?” 

“Yes,” Ghostbur answered automatically. 

The two Wilburs looked at each other. There was something almost challenging in Ghostbur’s eyes. “Okay,” Wilbur finally said. “But… can I have a moment? To walk around here, I mean.” 

“We have all the time in the world,” Ghostbur replied. 

Wilbur stood up and walked around the interior of L’Manberg’s walls. He missed this, he realized, more than he thought he had. The walls, and the Camarvan, and the time between the revolution and Schlatt. He missed the sun and not feeling tired all the time. He missed feeling like he had all the time in the world. 

He got to the entrance to the rest of the world, placing a hand on the blackstone next to him for no other reason than to convince himself it was real. He knew it wasn’t, but it sure as hell felt like it was. 

He felt a cold hand on his shoulder. “Are you ready?” asked Ghostbur, giving him a small smile. 

“What’s going to happen to you?” Wilbur asked. 

“I’ll die, probably. But I’m alright with that. I’ve done it before,” joked the ghost. 

“It’s not that bad,” Wilbur said. “It’s quiet.” 

“I think I need a bit of quiet,” Ghostbur said. “You know, I don’t remember very much of the last years of our life, but everyone says we were a rather awful person. You don’t seem that bad, though.” 

“I was, wasn’t I?” Wilbur said softly. “I think… I need to make up for that.” 

“I tried to,” Ghostbur replied. “But it’s hard to make up for something you don’t remember.” 

Wilbur nodded. “Okay. I’m ready to go. How do I...” 

Ghostbur smiled. “I think you need to go to sleep.” 

“What are you going to do?” Wilbur asked. As he said this, he realized the ghost was already starting to go transparent. 

“It was nice to meet you,” Ghostbur said, his voice getting fainter with every word. “Tell them I’m glad I could help, even if it was just for a few years.” 

“I’ll tell them that,” Wilbur replied, but he was speaking to no one. 

Wilbur saw the L’Mantree in the distance and made his way over to it. He placed a hand on the trunk, looking over at L’Manberg’s walls and taking it in one last time before lying down in the grass below the tree and closing his eyes. 


End file.
